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A consultation has been launched into an ambitious plan to expand what's on offer at Cantley Park
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Have your say on ambitious Cantley Park expansion plans

By Jon Nurse
October 04, 2012

Ambitious plans to bring new football pitches and tennis courts to Cantley Park are up for consultation.

Starting on Friday, people have eight weeks to have their say on three options to improve the park in Twyford Road.

The Draft Cantley Masterplan, which was approved by Wokingham Borough Council’s executive committee last Thursday, would see the council acquiring land next to the park to be used for a new football centre or pitches.

The plan presents three options for the land: a new youth football centre with an indoor tennis court; a new five-a-side football centre with a gym and indoor tennis courts; or new artificial turf pitches and youth football pitches.

Councillor Angus Ross, executive member for environment, said: “Cantley Park is Wokingham town’s major outdoor sports venue and is used by hundreds of people every week. We want to expand it so even more people can enjoy it.

“The memory of the Olympics is still fresh in people’s minds so it seems a perfect time to seek people’s views on improving such a key sports venue.

“We are trying to identify a plan that would develop that site for sports and leisure purposes and satisfy the developers’ purposes for the provision of that. This draft plan has nothing to do with building houses [in Cantley Park] or Wokingham Football Club.”

Wokingham Borough Council countryside officer Andy Glencross said: “As the town grows through the developments north of the town, we need to make sure the facilities available to residents grow as well.

“Cantley Park is key to that because it is where so many people play sport.”

Cllr Rob Stanton, deputy leader of the council, attended a community forum last Wednesday at Wokingham Methodist Hall in Rose Street, and he said: “It’s very good to see people keen to be involved and I think that’s very important.”

Comments on the draft can be made at www.wokingham.gov.uk/council/consultations/ until Friday November 30.

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Most recent user comments 13 of 13

Have only had a quick look through the 38 page document (will read it all over the weekend) but have already seen alot of incorrect information regarding the existing site plan, layout of pitches, and users. The size and type of them is wrong. Quite worrying that alot of information in the report is inacurrate or incorrect!!

7x 90 by 60 Senior pitches. 2x 80 by 50 pitches with fixed goals. 2x 60 by 40 Junior pitches. Astro Pitch. 9 Tennis courts / 6 Netball courts - Use same court area. 6 Changing rooms - 2 for astro pitch Ashridge Room (Pavilion) includes kitchen and toilets. Car park - approx 120 spaces.

Mistwalker
05/10/2012 at 11:24

Another consultation where it has already been decided that Cantley will be the sports hub and option 1 is WBC's preferred option.. More study needed.

Stig2, Wokingham
05/10/2012 at 11:23

thankyou alex-f the draft plan is indeed attached to the minutes and mistwalker as a pretty version is now on the consultation web page

Stig2, Wokingham
05/10/2012 at 11:00

The plans are at the bottom on a pdf I believe:

http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/council/consultations/cantley/

I P Freely
05/10/2012 at 10:53

Our councillors have built on Martins Pool, they have built on Carnival Field, they are about to wreck Elmsfield (all three donated to the people of Wokingham) and now urbanising Cantley and no doubt in 10 -20 yrs time will decide facilities are not economically viable and it will then be sold for housing!

It's x days til Christmas
04/10/2012 at 22:36

WBC ask but rarely listen .....

Peter Turner
04/10/2012 at 20:28

PoneRana - whilst I agree (I must say as well, partially on NIMBY terms as I live 10 seconds walk away from Cantley), I think I have read somewhere that sporting facilities need to be provided according to population size (i.e. the population growth from the North SDL). Can't fully recall though if that was absolutely mandatory...

alex_f, Wokingham
04/10/2012 at 19:00

Stig2 - you can get a preview by looking at the minutes from last week's exec meeting. The draft masterplan is in there.

alex_f, Wokingham
04/10/2012 at 18:56

On the URL above...

Current Consultations:-

Council Tax Benefit Consultation Family Information Service satisfaction survey Schools staff wellbeing survey Tenancy Strategy Consultation Wokingham primary school places review Wokingham Station Link Road consultation Young people's housing survey

Were are the plans?

Local Woky, Wokingham
04/10/2012 at 16:45

Last night (3rd Oct) the Planning Committee agreed to let Reading University build 38 house in the Site of Urban Landscape Value - the council's own policy designed to protect the green space between Woodley and Earley.

They could have refused on grounds that it was against their policy but they chose to allow development.

Why does WBC always put development before green space?

Phil Challis, woodley
04/10/2012 at 14:47

This seems to be a plan to replace even more open green space in the centre of Wokingham with artificial pitches, gyms and indoor facilities. When are we going to see a local plan that increases or even maintains the amount of grassed areas and trees available to local residents within walking distance of most of the population.

The council need to understand that only about 10% of the population use pitches and indoor sports facilities. A much larger percentage just want open green space within walking distnace of their homes.

PoneRana, Wokingham
04/10/2012 at 13:03

Stig2 - It will appear on the consultation pages from Friday (not stated what time). Until then I don't believe that the information is located elsewhere otherwise they wouldn't bother saying it starts Friday.

Mistwalker
04/10/2012 at 10:22

Cllrs Ross and Stanton... when will the Cantley plans appear in the consultations web page (see above)? I cannot find it on the planning website.. Is it available somewhere else before the consulation web page becomes available? I have seen it before but struggling to find it at the moment. Your help appreciated.